


Stay Close

by RobinsonsWereHere



Series: Plant a Little Happiness (Let The Roots Run Deep) [2]
Category: Psych (TV 2006)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Found Family, I will once again stress the need for more carlowe fics, Post-Canon, SPOILERS for Lassie Come Home, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, god i love them all so much, minor shules - Freeform, they make me soft, this movie made me soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25318249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinsonsWereHere/pseuds/RobinsonsWereHere
Summary: SPOILERS FOR PSYCH 2: LASSIE COME HOME"Stay close to anything that makes you happy to be alive."--UnknownWhen Marlowe finally gets to hold her husband again, she never wants to let go.
Relationships: Carlton Lassiter/Marlowe Viccellio
Series: Plant a Little Happiness (Let The Roots Run Deep) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941595
Comments: 18
Kudos: 28





	Stay Close

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Howlingdawn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howlingdawn/gifts).



> Dawn made me a gifset of Karen basically flipping off the police commisioner interview board so I am forever indebted to her... but I probably would've written this anyway. I love Lassie and Marlowe so much, they're so underrated

Once Marlowe finally, _finally_ gets to hold her husband, she does not let go.

Due to hospital rules, he has to leave in a wheelchair, but Marlowe walks beside him, holding his hand and his luggage as Juliet steers the wheelchair. But when they get home, he wants to walk, and really, there’s no easy way to wheel him into the house.

Marlowe is kicking herself over that, but it’s a problem for later.

At any rate, he mostly walks on his own into his home, but Marlowe and Juliet are right beside him, helping him up the stairs and holding his weight when he cannot. They have been there for him this whole time, physically or not, and they will not stop now.

When they step through the door there are balloons and a banner saying _Welcome Home, Carlton!_ and food and friends. But she knows Carlton won’t see any of that. Not when their little girl is sprinting from the kitchen, black curls bouncing, her eyes starry with delight and a wide grin on her face.

“Daddy!”

Carlton steps away from Juliet and Marlowe, only stumbling a bit as he reaches for Lily with his good hand. “Oh, Lily, I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, Daddy,” Lily says. “Do you feel better now?”

Marlowe sees her husband’s shoulders heave in a sigh. “Not all the way, darling. But I feel much, much better now that I’m with you.”

When he stops hugging Lily, Marlowe can tell Carlton is starting to tire out. She steps up beside him once again, intertwining their fingers and leading him to the couch. “I hope you don’t mind the party, honey. Everyone was excited to see you.”

“Of course,” he says, but then looks toward Juliet with a humorous twinkle in his eye. “Although I could’ve sworn O’Hara would know better than to throw me another surprise party.”

Juliet laughs. “No criminals at this one.”

“Except Marlowe,” Shawn points out.

Gus and Juliet smack him at the same time.

“She ‘s the worst one,” Carlton says, turning to give her a wide, adoring smile. She’s missed him so much, missed his smiles and his touch and his love. “Steals my heat over and over again every day.”

Marlowe can’t stop herself from kissing him after that.

The party continues on, but Marlowe, Carlton, and Lily, who snuggles under her dad’s good arm, barely move. They stay on the couch as the others move and shift around them. Someone brings food, someone hands Lily a juicebox. Marlowe feels almost like dozing off, just because she’s happier and calmer than she has been since her husband got shot.

Speaking of which, of _course_ Carlton has to know all the details of his shooter’s apprehension. Except, the story Marlowe is hearing doesn’t sound much like an arrest to her.

“So this guy pulls out a gun, and I’m ready to blow it out of his hand, but Shawn just _steps in front of me,”_ Juliet is saying. “He’s all ‘you will not shoot my wife’-- which was sweet, babe, I would take a bullet for you too-- but then he follows it up with ‘she is pregnant’. And I’m like, this is news to me!”

The room fills with laughter as he continues into the story of Gus fainting and Selene’s proposal. Carlton gives a satisfied nod when they finally get around to the shooter being arrested. Marlowe, too, feels a stab of vindication at the thought of the man who had nearly ruined her family behind bars. She almost wishes Juliet _had_ gotten to shoot him. Karma.

Most of their friends have to get back to San Francisco the next morning, so they say their goodbyes after a few hours. There are lots of hugs; Lily offers to do all the hugging for her dad and promises to give the best hugs ever. Marlowe thanks everyone for coming, for helping. The last person she hugs, she doesn’t let go of quickly.

“Thank you, Juliet,” she murmurs. “You were there when I couldn’t be.”

“Of course,” Juliet says, sounding close to tears, but Marlowe is, too. “He’s home now. You guys are gonna be just fine.”

“I know.” Marlowe gives her one last tight squeeze. “Thank you.”

Even after the party, the house doesn’t feel empty. It has for a long time, without Carlton. But he’s back now, and her heart and her home feel full.

Marlowe wraps him in her arms and decides she’s never letting go again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I love to see comments and kudos, and if you, like me, need someone to scream about the movie with, I'm bijulesspencerohara on tumblr!


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